Speaking during the grand occasion, Prof. J. N. Moorthy, Director, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, said, “I am delighted to host 4 founding Directors of IISERs and NISER on the 14th Foundation Day of IISER TVM. The significance of Foundation Day should be to identify the challenges we have faced and strategize to overcome those challenges and become a better version of ourselves. IISER TVM is making steady progress in training students, increasing the faculty strength, and launching new programs and academic centres. The Institute launched the BS MS i2 Sciences program in 2020, the 2 yr MSc program in 2021along with 2 new centres, the centre for High Performance Computing (HPC) and the Centre for Advanced Materials Research with International Engagement (CAMRIE). Further, the Institute plans to introduce the new School of Earth, Atmospheric, and Ocean Sciences in the near future. The Institute will continue to work towards the betterment of the community and society at large. I thank all the faculty, staff and students for their collective efforts in making and building a positive image of IISER TVM globally.”

The highlight of the celebrations were the intimate accounts of the Chairperson, Board of Governors, Prof. Arvind A. Natu, and other Founding Directors of the IISERs and NISER, on the theme ‘Journey with IISERs: Reflections and Lessons for All’

During his address, Prof. Arvind A. Natu, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IISER Thiruvananthapuram and IISER Kolkata, said, “IISERs are one of the best academic institutions with a focus on research. From an IISER,students can expect true academic ambience, the real meaning of interdisciplinary training, understand conceptualizations, planning and execution of problems, and get an opportunity to work in practically all the departments for an all-round knowledge and growth. I thank IISER TVM for inviting me and sharing my thoughts and experience with you all.”

Prof. N. Sathyamurthy, Founding Director, IISER Mohali, highlighted the journey in establishing IISER Mohali. He said “Until we proceed with a collaborative approach, we won’t be able to achieve the desired outcomes. I learnt this lesson when I was given the charge of IISER Mohali and started working towards setting up and running the Institute. All of us are on a path to build the emerging Science Universities of India and we can only achieve this with a collective approach.”

During his address, Prof. Krishna N. Ganesh, Founding Director, IISERs Pune and Tirupati, said, “The 14th Foundation Day of IISER TVM has made the reunion of the Founding Directors of IISERs and NISER possible. Thank you for creating this occasion. When we talk about setting up an IISER, we must keep in mind that the distinct culture and requirements of individual disciplines. We must aim to create an enabling atmosphere for academic excellence, strengthening academics, establishing world-class laboratories and state-of-the-art facilities, collaborating with state and central authorities to establish the campus infrastructure and finally creating educational hubs in collaboration with both regional educational establishments, and national and international centres. Only then can we proceed with an overall growth of the students, faculty, and the Institute.”

Prof. T. K. Chandrashekar, Founding Director, NISER, Bhubaneswar, stated, “When NISER Bhubaneswar was established, we faced some of peculiar challenges but with the constant support from the state authorities and Department of Atomic Energy we were able to establish a campus matching the architecture and culture of the state. I was fortunate enough that I got a chance to work with some of the greatest minds of the country during my tenure as the Director. Our collaboration with other Institutes of eminence helped us in building a roadmap of establishing NISER as an Institute of academic and research excellence.”

While summarising the journey of IISERs and the lessons for all, Prof. V. K. Singh, Founding Director, IISER Bhopal, said, “In order to build an Institute one needs two qualities, courage and common sense. We must focus on establishing the rules of governance and delegation of responsibilities to realise the full potential of the faculty and students. Inspite of all the difficulties and challenges these have helped me in building IISER Bhopal.”

The Foundation Day celebrations concluded with a Cultural program organized under the aegis of SPIC MACAY, wherein IISER TVM hosted a flute recital by Maestro Shashank Subramanyam, a Grammy-nominated exponent of Bamboo flute.